Air circulating cooler having a plurality of ice compartments



Sept. 8, 1953 R. w. RHOADS, SR 2,651,188 AIR CIRCULATING COOLER HAVING A PLURALITY OF ICE COMPARTMENTS Filed Dec. 17, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 n mm as I 28 Y 34 INVENTOR.

26 BY I m I. 38 m Sept. 8, 1953 R. W. RHOADS, SR ULATING COOLER 2,651,188 HAVING A PLURALITY AIR CIRC I 0F ICE COMPARTMENTS Filed Dec. 17, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVHV TOR.

54 Fig.5

Ralph av. Rhoads, s1:

rangement of partitions within Patented Sept. 8, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AIR CIRCULATIN G CO RALITY OF ICE Ralph W. Rhoads, Sr.,

OLER HAVING A PLU- COMPARTMEN TS Application December 17,

Claims. (01. 62-131) A further object of this invention is to provide which the air conduit portion of the storage compartment for Dry Ice.

With these objects definitely in view, this invention resides in certain novel features of con- Figure 1 is trailer in which is mounted the improved air and showing the construction and arrangement of the air conduit;

Figure 3 is a horizontal transverse sectional View through the air conduit and taken subupon the plane indicated by the section line 33 of Figure 2 and showing the arthe air conduit;

Figure 4 is an enlarged partial transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 4-4 of Figure 2 and showing the arrangement of the ice receiving compartments with respect to the air conduit, and the manner in which the Dry Ice is stored therewithin;

Figure 5 is an enlarged partial transverse vertical section view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 5-5 of Figure Springfield, Mo.

1951, Serial No. 262,122

1 and showing the construction of the door for the ice compartments; and

Figure 6 is an enlarged partial top plan view showing drive means for a blower which is installed in series with the air conduit.

Similar characters of reference designate similar or identical elements and portions throughout the specification and throughout the different views of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings in is provided with the conventional type of insulated walls I2 to provide an insulated compartment it which may be used for refrigerated storage. The rear underside of the trailer I0 is provided with a conventional running gear l6, and the trailer I 0 is pulled by a conventional tractor [8, the rear part only of the tractor being shown. The'trailer I0 is connected to the tractor [8 by a conventional fifth wheel 20. Mounted within the trailer I 0 is an improved air cooler, which is the subject of this invention, and will be described in detail hereinafter.

Referring to Figure 2 in particular, it will be seen that walls of each ice compartment 26.

Referring now to Figure 4., it will be seen that posed to air.

Referring again that the lower free cage type blower 44. The other side wall 45 of the blower 44 is provided with a conduit 48 which communicates with the interior of the uppermost horizontal portion 28 of the air conduit 24 through an opening 50 therein. The cold air is discharged from the blower 44 through a conventional blower outlet 52.

Referring now to, Figures 3, a and 5 in pare ticular, it will be seen that the Dry Ice 36 is provided'in the form of blocks whereby it may be conveniently stored within the ice receiving compartments 26. The air conduit 24 is divided into a plurality of smaller parallel air conduits 54 by a plurality of vertical longitudinally extending partitions 56. The partitiens 5 6 e gtend between and are secured to the upper and lower walls of the conduit 24. In "order that turbue lences may be set within the air conduit 24 to insure equal cooling of all the air passing therethrough, the partitions 5B are corrugated with the corrugationsextending longitudinally of the air conduit 24.

Referring now to Figures 2 and 5, it is seen that the doors 34 are of an insulated construction and include metal front faces 58 and insulating sheets 00. 'The rear edges of the doors 34 are provided with sealing gaskets 62 which engage the walls of the air co duit 24 to provide a tight seal between the doors 3% and conduit 24. The doors 34 are provided with handles 6 1 for opening and closing the same.

Referring now to'Figures l and 6 in particular, it will be seen that the trailer lilhas mounted on its front wall 65- an exterior compartment 68. Mounted within the compartment 68 is a motor, which may be either electrical or gasoline powered. The motor 10. is provided with a drive shaft 12 which extends through the front wall 65 of the tra'ler l and is connected to the blower 44" for driving the same. As shown in Figure 6 particularly, it will be seen that the blower 44 is providedwith a shaft 14 which is at'right angles to the motor shaft 12 and that the shafts Hand 14 are provided with bevel gears 16 and 1B, respectivel which are in engagement with eachother. The blower shaft 14 passes' through the fitting 40- through a special air tight'fitting 80; In view of the foregoing, it will be seen that due to the influence of the blower M, air within the. refrigerator compartment M of the trailer Ill-will be drawnthrough the inlet opening of the conduit 24; 7 The air will then pass through the conduit 24 over and around the ice compartments 26 whereby it is cooled to a low temperature byDry Ice 36 stored within the ice compartments 26. The cool air will then pass out of theairconduit 24 through the blower outlet 52-back into the refrigerating compartment i l. Since this cycle is continuously repeated, it is obvious that the air within the refrigerating compartment is substantially equal to the temperature of the vapor within the ice compartments ZB.

The type of air cooler shown and described herein makes theuse of acheap but highly effective refrigerant to produce the same results as a complicated refiigerator unit. Furthermore, since the air cooler described herein is not entirly dependent on power means for operating the' same it is obvious thatperis hable goods stored: within the refrigerator compartment M, are not subject to damage due to mechanical breakdown.

view of the foregoing, it is thought that the operation of this machine will be readily understood, and further description would appear to be unnecessary. Minor modifications of the cooler varying in minor details from the embodiment of the cooler illustrated and described here, may be resorted to without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the app nded claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. An air cooler for a cold storage box comprising a plurality of ice receiving compartments, an air conduit adjacent said ice receiving compartments, means for circulating air through said conduit, said air conduit being provided with a plurality of vertical continuous partitions to dividesaid airconduit into a plurality of separate conduits, said partitions being provided with longitudinally extending. corrugations in order to insure turbulence of air passing through said conduit.

"21 An air cooler for a cold storage box comprising a plurality ofice receiving compartments, an air conduit adjacent said ice receiving compartments, mean for circulating air through said conduit, said air conduit being provided with a plurality of vertical continuous partitions to divide said air conduit into a plurality of separate conduits, said partitions being provided with longitudinally extending corrugations in order to insure turbulence of air passing through said conduit, said air conduit being sinuous andforming the top, bottom and one'end wall- 0f each of the compartments.

3. An air cooler for a cold storage boxcomprising a plurality of ice receiving compartments, an air conduit adjacent said ice receiving conduits, a blower for circulating air through said conduit, one end of said. air conduit terminating in a continuous loop, said blower being. mounted in said loop and having dual intake openings to permit circulation of air through said loop in opposite directions.

4. An air cooler for a cold storage box comprising a plurality of ice receiving compartments, an air conduit adjacent said ice receiving con-. duits, a blower for circulating air through said conduit, one end of said air conduit terminating in a continuous loop, said blower being mounted in said loop and having dual intake openings-to permit circulation of air through saidloop in opposite directions, said blower being driven by a power unit mounted e rteriorly of said coldstorage box.

5. An air cooler for a. coldstorage box comprising a sinusoidal air conduit forming portions of a plurality of ice receiving chambers, plates secured to sides of said-conduits forming sides of said chambers, staggered end doors closing open ends of said chambers betweenadjacent end portions, of said conduit, said conduit bein f rm y a. n l u u ar member RALPH W. REOADS; SR.

References Cited in the. file of this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS.

Number me Date.

244,676 Scott July ra ser 1,300,705 DuBose Apr. 15, 1919. 1,689,638 Musser Oct, 30,1928 1,323,393 l way 1 !":v 5 9 2,027,336 Hanson Jan. 7, 1936 2,163,239 Harding June 20, 1939 

